Retail VS GFWL

[J T]

Games for Windows Live is a piece of crap. However, they have a few exclusive titles I want that I can't get on other digital distribution sites: Fable, Viva Pinata, BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger.

I can also find most of these on retail, but retail is about $10 more per game. I generally prefer a digital download, but I really dislike the marketplace interface to GFWL. I'm not sure I want to buy anything from them. Has anyone used them before? Is it better to just spend more for the retail to not have to mess with GFWL, or are they not as bad as I imagine?

[Hobie-wan]

Well the Fallout 3 expansions used to be GFWL only if you had the Steam F3. I was going to cave and get them that way but it was a complete and utter fucking nightmare. I finally ended up buying the Steam bundle with all of it when it was on sale. I know you said you like downloads, but I have a pristine copy of Fable for PC I'll sell you for less then $10 shipped.

[fastbilly1]

The only thing I have GFWL for is Street Fighter 4. Now if they allowed me to play all games with 360 players via GFWL then I would be more apt to use their service, but until then it will be very limited.

[BananaXX]

Ugh, GFWL is god awful. Can't see why any game would use that service.

[J T]

Fable III is now available for pre-order on Steam?!

That means Microsoft might now be looking to make their games available on services other than GFWL. GOG has suggested that Microsoft is one of the companies they are pursuing to get a contract with. I may not have anything to worry about in the future.

[jfrost]

They have Viva Piñata for GfWL? Man, I might have to use them, as much as it pains me.

[jfrost]

There are a lot of problems with GfWL, but the biggest one is that it is in conflict with the Xbox 360. It stands to reason that Microsoft won't put the bulk of its gaming resources on a open platform like PCs.

The experience of buying on GfWL is atrocious, but then again, Steam is atrocious in some ways. If somehow their servers act up and don't recognize your password, tough luck. If there's some screwuppance when paying, you lose all your games, you can't keep even them for playing offline. These things are better in GfWL, so I sense a bit of exaggeration when people complain about it.

I know its interface is not the best, but it seems to have become better in the last few months. For example, the main page seems to even be up to date!

[MrHealthy]

I've bougth some stuff from them before, but only because it was a wicked hot sale. My experience has not been terrible (I can download and play my games fine) but the actual client is horrendiously designed.

Games I have with GFWL:

Age of Empires III: Complete Collection -- 10 cents
Bioshock -- $2.50
Deus Ex: GOTY Edition -- $1
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne -- $1
S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl -- $1
Tinker -- Free for everyone
Viva Piñata -- $1

I can't really complain when I got all that for less then 10 bucks. I just wish they had sales like that more often. I would actually use them because of sales like that.

[J T]

Age of Empires III: Complete Collection -- 10 cents
Viva Piñata -- $1

I want that deal.

[MrHealthy]

I still can't believe the age of empires 3 deal is real and I bought it like 5 months ago! I keep thinking that I'll wake up to find that they revoked my license for it.